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Sunday, May 28, 2017

Remembering our heroes on Memorial Day*

cj
Sez: Because I think this
information needs repeating . . .

It wasn't always
Memorial Day — it used to be known as Decoration Day. Whatever the name, it's a
day of remembrance for all those who have died in service of the United States
of America.

Born of the Civil
War, Memorial Day began as a holiday honoring Union soldiers, and some states still have separate Confederate observances. Mississippi celebrates
Confederate Memorial Day on the last Monday of April, Alabama on the fourth
Monday of April, and Georgia on April 26. North and South Carolina observe it
on May 10, Louisiana on June 3 and Tennessee calls that date Confederate
Decoration Day. Texas celebrates Confederate Heroes Day on Jan. 19 and Virginia
calls the last Monday in May Confederate Memorial Day. (In this era of intolerance and kowtowing to cries to erase visible traces of our history, the
memorials respecting Confederate soldiers who died fighting for what they believed in may
not continue much longer.)

The first Decoration Day, the 30th of May, 1868, was chosen
because it wasn’t the anniversary of any particular Civil War battle.

that at 3 p.m. local time, all Americans
“Voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of Remembrance
and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or
listening to ‘Taps.’”

Red poppies are
known as a symbol of remembrance, and it's a tradition to wear them on
Memorial Day to honor those who died in war.

In 1915, inspired by the poem “In Flanders Fields,” Moina
Michael conceived the idea to wear red poppies on Memorial Day in honor of
those who died serving the nation during war. She was the first to wear one and
sold poppies to her friends and co-workers with the money going to benefit
servicemen in need.

(cj Sez: When I was
little, we called it Poppy Day instead of Decoration Day.)

Following is a tabulation of the casualties of U.S. wars (The list is not all inclusive, and the reported numbers
exclude wounded and/or missing):

Operation
Enduring Freedom: 2,318
U.S. service members have died as of May 12, 2014.

cj Sez: I am in
awe of their sacrifice, and it is with deep reverence and gratitude, I humbly
say thank you to the families that America’s heroes left behind. May God Bless you.

COMING ATTRACTIONS . . . Arriving July 10: A new Crimson Romance bundle about athletes
and the sports they love, Bodies in Motion,
includes Choosing Carter (rafting
and off-roading) Watch for it on
Amazon.

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